Medicine Books

This book is a must have for every family. The diagnostic charts are very helpful.

I recommend this book highly. It has been an excellent resource to determine what's wrong before you see a doctor.

I would like to commend Amazon.com for their speedy resolution. My book arrived or rather the open box arrived without the book. I still can't believe the post office basically delivered a piece of cardboard. The post office evidently tore open the box and lost the book.

I called Amazon and they immediately sent me a replacement- which did arrive in perfect condition.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!
I have 2 daughters going through surgery and "The American Medical Association Family Medical Guide" has enlightened me greatly as to what to expect. The information is so much more easily understood in the privacy of the home. Information is explained in easy to understand language.

So the book is great and the service from Amazon is also great.

Very useful guide, almost all things you could think of are covered (a few are not though, i.e., I found one particular eye-related problem that although is mentioned somewhere in the book, is neither explained nor dealt with anywhere). As it is obvious given the time passed between the last two editions, the panel of doctors differs from the prior one, and some topics are treated differently as well, not necessarily due to the passage of time or technological advances, so I kept the former edition. I suggest you do the same if you have the older version.

This was a great value. I was going to purchase this at a well-known book store for $29.99, however decided to hold off and check on-line. I was extremely surprised at the price I was able to purchase it for. Excellent Value.

Michael Greger's "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching" is more terrifying than anything a horror writer could imagine, since it depicts a real-life doomsday scenario that seems poised to occur very soon; indeed, the new H5N1 strain of influenza, known as "bird flu," has mutated into a form that can be transmitted by human contact, though not yet on a massive scale, meaning a mass outbreak is more a question of when, not if.

Whereas humans generally contract the disease by ingesting contaminated birds, or being in frequent contact with them, bird flu could blanket the globe when the virus has learned to jump easily from human to human. The author writes: "One day soon, experts fear, with more and more people becoming infected, the virus will finally figure out the combination -- the right combination of mutations to spread not just in one elevator or building, but every building, everywhere, around the globe. One superflu virus. It's happened before, and experts predict it many soon happen again."

Dr. Greger sets the stage for what could come by giving readers a grisly account of a previous avian influenza outbreak: the 1918 flu pandemic, in which 50 to 100 million humans perished. These were gruesome deaths, with blood oozing from eye sockets as the victim's lungs liquefied. Fatalities were so abundant that officials were unable to keep up with burying the corpses. It seems this was merely a sample of what's in store for humanity. "As devastating as the 1918 pandemic was," Dr. Greger writes, "on average the mortality rate was less than 5%. The H5N1 strain of bird flu virus now spreading like a plague across the world currently kills about 50% of its known human victims, on par with some strains of Ebola, making it potentially ten times as deadly as the worst plague in human history." One reason, he explains, is the 1918 virus attacked only the lungs, whereas H5N1 shuts down all the internal organs.

"Bird Flu" eloquently contextualizes the subject, giving us a greater understanding of the virus' origins and our critical role in it. The director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States, Dr. Greger examines bird flu from every angle, creating a meticulously researched work that traces how agricultural, scientific, environmental, political and economic forces have conspired to transform a virus that once threatened only waterfowl into a "highly pathogenic avian influenza" destined to lay waste to large segments of human population.

Among the stops on the author's bird flu reality tour is President George W. Bush's decision in April of 2006 to lift the ban on poultry products from China -- a country well known for its recent outbreaks of avian influenza -- possibly in return for China's agreement to drop its mad cow disease-related ban on U.S. beef imports. (One disease for another, perhaps? No trade deficit there.) Other troubling highlights include the world's inadequate hospital capacity and the inability to create a vaccine, or enough of it, to combat a virus that kills half its victims. In other words, we are as ill-prepared for avian flu today as we were in 1918. And, as Dr. Greger notes, not only is H5N1 worse than what our grandparents faced, but 21st-century transportation means a virus can travel around the planet in 24 hours, not a year.

The book is also a sobering lesson in how many of our human ailments, from the common cold to AIDS, have come from our oppression of animals, especially the practice of breeding and raising them for food. (Dr. Greger notes that human influenza began with the domestication of ducks 4,500 years ago.) Yet authorities refuse to confront the obvious cause of this "virus of our own hatching," preferring instead to devote their resources to containing the outbreak by culling chickens and turkeys and extolling the virtues of well-cooked meat.

Even without the looming pandemic, "Bird Flu" reminds us that eating animal flesh can be deadly. Dr. Greger writes: "For the same reason that people don't get Dutch Elm Disease or ever seem to come down with a really bad case of aphids, food products of animal origin are the source of most cases of food poisoning, with chicken the most common culprit." He notes that although the USDA asserts that proper cooking methods kill all viruses, including bird flu, 76 million Americans still suffer food poisoning every year and an estimated 5,000 die from food-borne illness. The average American kitchen, it seems, has become a biohazard, with pathogenic bacteria found on food-preparation surfaces, sinks and utensils. Dr. Greger quotes flu expert Albert Osterhaus, who concluded that "the gastrointestinal tract of humans is a portal of entry for H5N1."

Although pandemics seem inevitable, Dr. Greger's landmark book suggests an obvious (some might say radical) solution: the elimination of intensive poultry production. Perhaps this is more wishful thinking, given the world's ever-growing appetite for cheap animal protein, but others in the scientific community are also supporting this recommendation, so we may at least see improvements in the way agribusiness operates. "Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own Hatching" could herald dramatic changes in farming practices, finally driving decision-makers to critically examine not only how this virus came to be, but how we can curtail it and future diseases lurking within animal factories around the globe.

Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

BIRD FLU: A VIRUS OF OUR OWN HATCHING opens not with H5N1, the modern day "bird flu virus" which has the potential to mutate into the deadliest pandemic that the world has ever seen, but with H1N1, the influenza virus responsible for the 1918 flu pandemic. In just two short years, an estimated 50 to 100 million people perished as World War I raged on.

As described by author Michael Greger, MD, in chilling detail:

"What started for millions around the globe as muscle aches and a fever ended days later with many victims bleeding from their nostrils, ears, and eye sockets. Some bled inside their eyes; some bled around them. They vomited blood and coughed it up. Purple blood blisters appeared on their skin. [...] [The Chief of the Medical Services, Major Walter V. Brem] wrote that `often blood was seen to gush from a patient's nose and mouth.' In some cases, blood reportedly spurted with such force as to squirt several feet. `When pneumonia appeared,' Major Brem recounted, `the patients often spat quantities of almost pure blood.' They were bleeding into their lungs."

Yet, H1N1 had a "low" (relatively speaking) mortality rate of 2.5% to 5%. Compare that to H5N1, which thus far has killed 55% of those infected - and one must wonder why the possibility of bird flu pandemic is confined to occasional media reports that are quickly dwarfed by the latest Hollywood gossip. Is bird flu-inspired panic just another example of media sensationalism?

Not so, argues Greger. From 1918 he transitions seamlessly to the research laboratories of today. Greger, who is Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States and "an internationally recognized lecturer on public health issues", launches into Viral Biology 101, explaining in layman's terms how a virus reproduces, spreads, mutates, and interacts with its host. Though he's dealing with (arguably) dry subject matter, Greger manages to keep the discussion engaging via the liberal use of colorful analogies and sharp, witty prose. This isn't your high school bio textbook.

Once a basic understanding of viruses has been established, Dr. Greger addresses modern animal agriculture, specifically, how it's especially conducive to the transmission and evolution of avian influenza. Animals, particularly "broiler" (meat) and "laying" (egg) hens, are packed into windowless sheds by the thousands; by the time they're fully grown just 45 days later (in the case of broiler hens), they don't even have enough space to spread their wings or turn around. Chickens are selectively bred for fast growth or maximum egg production - much to the detriment of their immune systems. Rather than improve the birds' ability to stave off disease (which would come at the expense of their "energy efficiency"), large-scale corporate "factory farmers" opt to pump their livestock full of antibiotics, thus contributing to bacterial resistance in humans. Add to this mix the fact that chickens literally spend their short lives wallowing in their own feces (and sometimes even that of previously butchered flocks), and you've got the perfect environment for a virus such as H5N1 to thrive.

And thrive it has. The billions of chickens, turkeys, and pigs raised and slaughtered for food annually act like "petri dishes" in which avian influence can mingle, swapping genetic material in order to mutate, gradually evolving into a strain more lethal and infectious to humans. Their compromised immune systems and unsanitary and stressful living conditions only facilitate this process. Despite numerous attempts at eradicating the virus - for example, by wiping out entire flocks of chickens, to the tune of millions of birds at a time - H5N1 (along with additional viral strains) can still be found on many farms, throughout the world.

While some critics - particularly those in the animal agriculture industry - dismiss this as scare mongering, Greger argues his points convincingly, and offers a wealth of evidence to support his claims. Indeed, his "Reference" section spans an impressive 90 pages! Throughout the text, he quotes a myriad of experts in the field, including Robert Webster, Kennedy F. Shortridge, and Michael Osterholm, as well as health professionals from the USDA, CDC, FAO, and WHO. Even "food scientists" admit - in the comfort and familiarity of their own trade journals, mind you - that the industry is flirting with disaster. The general - nay, unanimous - consensus seems to be "when, not if."

A pandemic is inevitable, that is, unless we swiftly and dramatically move away from factory farming methods towards less intense animal agriculture methods, such as free range farming. Additionally, this must be preceded by a temporary global moratorium on meat and egg production, in order to eradicate the bird flu virus(es) already present in farm animals worldwide. None of which is bloody likely to happen.

Thus, Greger urges readers to take precautions before a pandemic hits. He recommends obtaining and filling a prescription for Tamiflu (the more effective of two antivirals used to treat avian influenza), as well as stocking up on necessary groceries and such - TODAY. Greger also advises readers on how to purify water with bleach, and concoct cheap, homemade hand sanitizer. Oh, and do make sure you have plenty of liquor, cigarettes and ammo on hand, just in case the world reverts to the barter system! Though Greger reiterates and even elaborates upon government-issued pandemic guidelines in this last section, I didn't exactly walk away with a sense of empowerment. The rest of BIRD FLU was so horrifying that stocking up on canned veggies and medical masks won't do much to ease my troubled mind.

Whether you're a vegan, a carnivore, an average Jane, a state Senator, an animal welfarist, or a hunter, BIRD FLU is one book you can't afford to ignore. For too long, we've been playing chicken with our food supply - and nature may soon see fit to reward our taste for cheap meat with a global pandemic.

I didn't want to read this book. Maybe you don't either. But you must. And when you do, you'll find that the author has made it easy, and even entertaining, for you to learn everything you never wanted to know about bird flu.

Michael Greger writes in an engaging and accessible style that will keep you turning pages as he guides you through the history of zoonotic (animal-based) diseases and explains how contemporary factory farming and meat-packing practices not only make the emergence of new diseases more likely but also place consumers at risk of food poisoning by everyday microorganisms like E. Coli and Salmonella. Despite his somber subject matter, Greger is upbeat, giving us the bad news in a way that energizes us to do something about it.

It can happen here. It has happened here. The 1918 influenza pandemic that killed more Americans than World War II was a bird flu. The next pandemic will be too. We all need to know what we might be able to do to prevent or mitigate that pandemic. You need to what to do to protect yourself and your loved ones when the pandemic comes. Read this book now and make sure that the public policy makers who are supposed to be looking out for you read it too.

Watching a pandemic unfold and take shape before your eyes is like watching paint dry. It is an agonizing process, slow and painful. But at the end, the product is there for all to see.

This is the book to read while watching the paint dry. Like Mike Davis' excellent "The Monster at Our Door," Dr. Greger has done a lot of the heavy lifting for you. He has read countless books, scientific papers, newspaper and magazine articles along with medical/scientific journals and produced the definitive work on avian influenza for the lay reader, decision-maker and concerned citizen.

Along the way, Dr. Greger also shows us the principal underlying cause of the spread of H5N1 (factory farming of chickens and other poultry) and supports his theories with mountains of data, opinion and observation -- much of it directly from the commercial poultry industry he takes to task for putting the world in the shape it is in, bird flu-wise.

Certain passages contain the most relevatory things about food production I have read since Upton Sinclair. It would not take much more to turn me into a vegetarian! I now seek free-range chickens to consume.

Speaking of consume: Once you have read (in order) The Great Influenza (Barry), The Monster at Our Door (Davis) and Bird Flu: A Virus of Our Own hatching (Greger), you are ready to dive into the scientific literature yourself. Have a go at all three of these excellent books.

It is amazing how much is hidden from the public eye. This author does a great job of explaining how the avian flu is VERY probable. You will never want to eat chicken or eggs again after reading this one and learning about overcrowding, filth, and treatment of chickens and how the avian flu is mutating because of the conditions that we (humans) create. I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of "Grey's Anatomy" only it takes place in the early 1970's so it's interesting to see how many things have changed since then (women in the surgical field, major technology differences, etc.) Good character development, I felt like I really knew the characters by the end of the book. Sequel! Sequel!

The struggles, challenges, and rewards of being a medical intern are realistically and graphically portrayed in Pierce Scranton's "Learning Curve". The vivid accounts of medical conditions and procedures described in the book are offset by the constant reminders that doctors are, after all, human! The downside of that humanness is that medical mistakes can and are made, resulting in adverse affects on patients...sometimes in death. The upside of the humanness of doctors is that most of them really do CARE deeply about healing their patients, and they work so very hard toward that end.

The author has given us a very honest and insightful account of the everyday high drama that surrounds our physicians as they practice and learn how to blend their professional skills and knowledge with their humanness and love and respect for life.

Thank God for duck hunting!

A really excellent book for anyone interested in the medical field. A true insight into doctors in training.

I read Death On the Learning Curve while recovering from ankle surgery and I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, someday in the future, I plan on reading it again! It was a hard book to put down and I couldn't wait to see the outcome of the medical drama. I now understand how hard it is for interns to make decisions that could cost another's life. While reading this book, I often gasped, laughed, and got teary eyed. You won't be disappointed if you invest your money and time into this book.

This review was written by Linda Gardner.

Dr. Scranton's book is a candid and realistic portrait of internship in the 1970's. Although some things have changed, many more things have remained the same. His attention to details makes this story very real and delightfully entertaining. This is a wonderful read for anyone in the medical profession, but medical knowledge is certainly not needed to follow the story line and thoroughly enjoy.

This book will definitely make you reconsider the murder of JFK, along with the cancer so many of us fight each day. It's scary to imagine what the government can do.

I was amazed when I read Dr Mary's Monkeys. This is honest research and shows just how corrupt scientists and governments can be. It also explained the connection to why JFK was murdered.

As a native New Orleanian, I was 20 years old when Dr. Sherman was murdered and remember parts of the strange story of her murder in her St. Charles Ave apartment. Having actually met a couple of the players in the book, back in the early and mid-60's, remembering the stories of the Primate Center over the years and various related vague controversies, I find Haslam's story very compelling, well researched and totally believable - it sure tied up a lot of loose ends for me about many questions I've had since 1962. It also helps explain why so many people of my generation (who took the polio vaccine in question) seem so susceptible to the current cancer epidemic, at least here in New Orleans. Call me cynical, but to me, there is nothing far-fetched in this book at all and Haslam clarifies a lot of issues/mysteries that have been successfully suppressed for 40+ years.

This book was somewhat "under the radar' here and was a word-of-mouth type of thing that locals started to talk about, passing around their copies of the book (which I could initially only find on Amazon); however, I noticed it on display at a Border's store this week (at $19.99). I've referred the book to everyone I know and I am ordering another 4 copies today from Amazon for friends - I think it is a must-read - even if you don't believe part of it, it is a book that is hard to put down and frightening on many levels.

An incredible journey.Absolutely Brilliant writing! A book that should be in everyone's home. The millions of children innoculated with the polio vaccine,that were contaminated with monkey virus'. This led to a possible
development of soft tissus in later life,(and possibly AIDS). Even worse after the discovery,was the cover-up by the Government.You can NOT put this book down.The documentation and footnotes,are flawless. The new Orleans Connection,Lee Harvey Oswald,Jim Garrison,the death of President Kennedy,and the homicide of Dr. Mary Sherman,The links to the finest researchers brought to New Orleans to try to keep the secret while trying to find an answer. One of the best and most riveting books I have EVER read!

If you don't want to be challenged, or you want to believe the Warren Commission Report that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone and unaided in the assassination of JFK, or that New Orleans and the events taking place there played no part in the assassination, don't bother to read Dr Mary's Monkey, for it will disrupt your complacency and demolish your assumptions.

This book is a serious attempt to move into an area of research that is as-yet mostly uncharted with little documentation. And it is no surprise -- most of the people involved are dead -- something happened to them soon after the assassination. One has survived, though; a woman who has created more controversy and discussion than anybody connected to the assassination, save for perhaps Lee Oswald himself.

Judyth Vary Baker, who now resides outside of the US for her own safety, is the witness whose statements pull together this book into a cohesive theory of what might have happened behind the scenes of the assassination. In addition, Haslam is a good writer who uses his own experiences (they create rather eccentric credentials for his passion for his subject-matter) to give us a book that is a real page-turner. An updated and expanded version of his earlier outrageously fascinating book "Mary, Ferrie and the Monkey Virus", which gained a considerable cult following over the years, this edition has photos and documentation galore.

This book is a great book on the history of prions. Max easily illustrates how prions are connected to other important diseases such as alzheimers and diabetes. He flawlessly goes from past to present, connecting the two times with the venetian family who has a defective prion gene. It is really amazing that prions don't affect more people. It is also a wake up call for the beef industry in America.

This is a fascinating medical 'thriller', only it's real! it was nearly impossible to stop listening to it and i think anyone who likes medical thrillers or anything related to the medical field, would love this.
The book focuses on prions and their role in disease, especially 'mad cow disease'.

This is a very scary book. The Family that Couldn't Sleep by D. T. Maxd was a very thought provoking study of some of the neurodegenerative diseases that have eluded our understanding. Most of those that the author mentions are truly horrific to the individual who suffers them and to their families. I started my nursing practice on a neurology ward where I encountered many of the maladies the author describes. What was particularly disturbing to me was that years later many of these insidious diseases are as little understood as they were when I first encountered them. The sufferer of ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" after the baseball player who died from it--still finds medical science unable to offer much more than they did when it was first described. Huntington's Disease still devastates families that carry the genetic misprint. While the treatment of myasthenia gravis has progressed to some degree, that of Alzheimer's disease (the old organic brain syndrome or pre-senile dementia) and Creutzfeld-Jacab Disease (formerly referred to as Jacob-Creutzfeld's) are still in their infancy. The similarity between the latter disorder and Kuru has been known for years, but understanding and treatment elude us. According to the author, even the prion concept has its detractors. If nothing else the author was certainly able to capture the devastation that such disorders cause their sufferers and their families. In my early practice I met a man who came in with mild neurological symptoms; he received a diagnosis of Huntington's, and within months he became a changed person because of the unrelenting course of his disease. He ultimately ended up in a nursing home, more or less "insane." Worse yet was the fact that both of his children had a 50-50 chance of having the disorder or of passing the disposition on to their own children. The heartbreak of his wife in witnessing his decline and than recognizing the symptoms anew in her son was awful.

By bringing these disorders and the agonies of the sufferers to public attention Max may well spur more intensive research into these many disorders. And it's about time.

This book does a lot to clear up the story of prions, what they are, what they do, how their threat is real. The Italian family who gives the story its title is but one instance of prions affecting human and animal life. The research is impeccable, and particularly interesting is the process by which medical and veterinary sciences came together to begin unraveling the prion mystery. Because, to be accurate, documentation on how livestock has been affected by prion disease had been, until recently, far more complete and detailed than human prion disease.

The author tells the story unemotionally, which is good, but the reading is far from arid or too technical. The human factor -- how scientists competed for the credit, sometimes damaging other professionals' reputations and careers -- makes it even more interesting. All this makes "The Family That Couldn't Sleep" a fundamental work for anyone who wants to understand these proteins better, and also for people curious about the inner workings of scientific research.

You may find yourself staying up all night to finish this fascinating book. Just be glad you don't share the wrong genes with the family of the title.

This account of prion-based spongiform encephelopathic diseases covers a lot of ground: the Italian family of the title suffering from FFI (fatal familial insomnia), the mysterious epidemic of kuru among the Fore tribe of New Guinea, eventually linked to the practice of eating their dead ancestors' brains, the rare genetically transmitted Creuzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD), various animal spongiform encephelopathies, from scrapie in sheep to mad cow disease to chronic wasting disease in deer. All of these diseases share a common feature - they are transmitted by an infectious agent of a kind thought until recently by scientists to be impossible, and the incubation time from infection to manifestation of disease symptoms is remarkably long. The culprits are *prions*, which are a type of rogue protein. The idea that a protein could act as an infectious agent flew completely in the face of scientific received wisdom to date when first introduced and the science underlying this class of degenerative brain diseases is both complex and controversial.

The author's exposition is clear, but ultimately I think he does not do complete justice to the material (which is really fascinating). It may be that his scope is too ambitious - with so much ground to cover, the exposition occasionally lapses into sketchiness. To be fair, there can be no single "right" level of detail that would suit all readers, and D.T. Max generally shows good judgement about what to include to keep the exposition intelligible while moving his story along.

That said, the material related to kuru, cannibalism among the Fore, and the linkage to scrapie, CJD, and mad cow disease has already been presented in the 1998 book by Richard Rhodes, "Deadly Feasts: Tracking The Secrets Of A Terrifying New Plague". I preferred the Rhodes account - his exposition of the science was clearer, and I thought he told a better, tighter story.

However, there's not that much to choose between the two, and Max's book does have the extra material about FFI, which is interesting in its own right. Max does make one misjudgement, in my opinion, which is to include an account of his own illness (he has been diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease which, although it is a neurodegenerative muscular disorder, is neither prion-related nor an amyloid plaque disease). Inclusion of this essentially irrelevant material is a distraction, which just muddies the exposition.

One final criticism is that Max includes an unquestioning discussion of putative geographical "clusters" of CJD cases, based solely on their identification by patients' family members, whom he refers to as "Creutzfeldt Jakobins" (a hideous, tin-ear coinage, which he seems to think is clever). These so-called clusters are almost certainly spurious, based on an incorrect application of the relevant probability models and Max's failure to identify the error detracts from his objectivity as a science writer and contributes to a presentation of disease spread scenarios which are unduly alarmist. The discussion of possible treatment options in the final chapter also struck me as weak, an over-interpretation of what are essentially just anecdotal data. One sees this kind of over-interpretation all the time in the popular press, but I would have expected better from a science writer as experienced as D.T. Max.

However, these are minor criticisms of this well-written account of a fascinating subject.

A must have if you have dogs and cats, I've read a lot of books about dog health and this has got to be one of the best. It helps you prepare for and deal with an emergency. For example there's a whole list of items you should have on hand, a doggie first aid kit. Immediate action can be the difference between life and death of a beloved pet and this book really does describe important procedures that could definitely save a life in those crucial moments. The book is written in a clear and easy to follow fashion, I highly recommend it if you're a dog/cat owner/lover. This book goes very well with this one:
Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook

This book is extremely helpful when you have pets. I have used it many times now.

I definitely reccomend this for anyone who loves their cats and dogs like family members! There are many life saving tips in this great book. I bought this book because I have a cat who like to chew on things, including electrical wires. I learned a lot about this scary issue, as well as, many other life saving bits of information that I had never known before. There is even a section on human medicine that is safe for cats and dogs. I think this book would come in handy in the event of an emergency after vet hours!!

The book is in great shape and is new, however, it took too long to receive it & I wouldn't purchase another book from a1 because of the length of time it took to recieve it.

I've been looking for a book like this. I'm a nurse and was taught many interventions to assist a patient in crisis in addition to contacting a physician. That's nursing for humans. Now I have the information to assist my pets. This book covers every thing from minor first aid to life saving interventions. It's organized so that you can find what you need quickly. Its written in such a down-to-earth style that I know what to do within a paragraph or two.

I have seen well over a dozen books on thyroid. Too many contain mostly regurgitated conventional beliefs, a few were written mainly to sell the author's own nutrition products. Most insist thyroid medical tests are reliable. (How do they know this, anyway?)

This one is different. The author is a hypothyroid specialist and provides much evidence that over 50% of the US (and no doubt UK) population has low thyroid problems - whether your own doctor's much-touted tests show it or not.

This is the book that really helped me understand my low thyroid problems and I have also learned how to see the signs in others (from pix and explanations in the book of things like the arm pinch test and swollen necks). The only negative for me is that it did not really agree with the warning in one other excellent thyroid book about adrenal exhaustion preventing recovery (that other book is "Your Thyroid and How to Keep It Healthy: The Great Thyroid Scandal and How to Survive It" by Barry Durrant-Peatfield and there is only one page in it about having to build up the adrenals first - easy to overlook, as I almost did). Be warned: if you have had low thyroid for several years (in my case over a decade before I finally self-diagnosed and thus was able to take the first steps towards recovery) then you will almost certainly have adrenal exhaustion.

The thyroid tablets did not work for me (and I ended up taking three times the normal "dose" for several months before this became clear) until I stopped them and took adrenal support tablets for several weeks before restarting thyroid on a smaller dose. I also continued the adrenal support tablets for several months. Finally, I am seeing clear improvements. There is even a spring in my step! I never really expected to experience that again...

The adrenal exhaustion involvement is a major problem because, even if you are able to get thyroid tablets, they may not work and you would then assume you don't have a low thyroid problem, that it must be something else. This happened to me at the start of my long illness and was one of the major reasons I did not try thyroid tablets again for over a decade - even though I very gradually gained over 100 pounds while eating very carefully indeed - it must be easier to realise a low thyroid involvement if you gain three stone in three months, as a friend of mine did. (Another one was that I have very thick head hair and every list of symptoms includes thinning hair - so please don't let this sort of thing put you off too.)

Also, if you are diabetic or TATT (tired all the time, even ME/CFS) or overweight (and can't lose it by dieting) or have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, etc, etc, then you MUST read this book. If you have chronic health problems (and who doesn't, these days!) the information in this book may save your life in the long run and relieve pain in the shorter term.

P.S. I also recommend the book "Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It" by Brownstein which I have since come across and found very helpful.

Finally a book that explans why hypothyroidism cannot be diagnosed solely by blood tests. Doctors in the 21st century should take note that their patients are running out of patience with their lack of answers to some vague epidemics such as "chronic fatigue syndrome," fibromyalgia," and "depression." I advise doctors that they need to "go back to the basics" of listenng to patients and being openminded.

Thank you, Dr. Starr, for you are a doctor who "gets it" and who makes complete sense!

This book is one of the best. It is packed with excellent and helpful info about the Thyroid and other glands as well. It helped me figure out why my doctors cannot seem to diagnose or treat my problems effectively. It is not easy reading, requires quiet concentration. Could have been more simply organized, but the valuable and potentially life-saving information within is well worth the effort. Have your highlighter and page markers ready!

If you are like me, never feeling "right" on your synthetic Thyroid hormone (mine was Synthroid) but your doctor insisting that your "levels are in the normal range" you MUST read this book. YOU ARE NOT CRAZY! Your blood tests can be normal, yet you are gaining weight, your hair is falling out by the handfuls and you are tired all the time. Get some help from an MD who will LISTEN to you and take you seriously instead of sounding like a broken record (your levels are in the normal range, your levels are in the normal range, blah blah blah). I told my doc if she didn't put me on the natural hormone I was leaving her. She did it against her better judgment and guess what? I feel a hundred times better and my levels are normal. Not that I put any credibility in those, but it makes her happy (I guess) even though she is still mad at me. I don't care. It's my health, not hers. This book can change your life if you are willing to stand up for your well-being. Buy this book, I can't recommend it enough.

I've read every book I could get my hands on about thyroid disorders.

This is the best one I've found. This MD has the answer to thyroid problems.

I also appreciate how he writes about the weird symptoms you can have that no one else has explained. Myxedema is one. If you are hypothyroid you probably have what looks like cellulite all over your body. It is a form of edema that will go away when your thyroid is better.

Insist on natural thyroid glandulars from your MD. Synthroid does not work!!!

This book should be required reading for all women and all MD's who treat women, esp. OB/GYNs. It systematically and easily explains the role of hormones ("ovaries") in virtually all areas of women's mental and physical health. In light of the virtual "banning" of HRT for post-menopausal women (including young women who have a hysterectomy) it is a true "must read" for all!!! I learned so much, and have begun receiving various hormones in pellet form which has improved my life SO MUCH! No more hot flashes!!! A much more even temperment!! And I could go on and on. This book really opened my eyes in a way that even my MD (female, family practice) found surprising!!!

This book is an excellent, well organized combination of case studies and medical science. Dr. Vliet is Board Certified in Pain Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology, and has performed research investigating behavioral effects of hormones.

Information in this book has helped Florida Detox treat migraines, insomnia, anxiety, depression, interstitial cystitis, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia more effectively. Our opiate detox patients frequently arrive with estradiol, progesterone and testosterone deficiencies and almost all of our fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue patients are hypothyroid. Oral Bioidentical Progesterone has produced dramatic anxiety reductions in some of our patients, while bioidentical estradiol has produced dramatic decreases in insomnia and depression in others.

We have also been able to identify previously undiagnosed Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and agree with Dr. Vliet that PCOS is underdiagnosed. This book provides an excellent discussion of PCOS, enhanced with case histories.

It's My Ovaries, Stupid contains a profound discussion of the adverse impact of environmental contaminants, including insecticide, herbicide, poly chlorinated biphenyls, birth control pill residues and food additives. Vliet explains excess glutamate, used as a food additive, can damage the hypothalamus, which is unprotected by the blood-brain barrier. Glutamate can also decrease thyroid hormone and elevate cortisol levels, increasing obesity.

Vliet discusses published research revealing Finnish women with the highest Lindane pesticide levels in their breasts were ten times more likely to have breast cancer. A 1992 Connecticut study revealed women with breast cancer had 50 to 60 percent higher levels of PCB, DDT and DDE, in their breasts.

There has been extensive misleading media coverage of estrogen replacement therapy, since most coverage failed to distinguish between bioidentical estrogens and Premarin or other conjugated estrogens.
Premarin is not identical to human estrogen. Premarin contains approximately 40 percent estrone, while human estrogens are about 3 percent estrone. Estrone is many times more carcinogenic, than estradiol. Premarin also contains equilin, which is many times more carcinogenic, than estradiol, which is the most active human estrogen. Horse estrogens, also called conjugated estrogens or Premarin, were used in the highly publicized Womens Health Initiative study of 27,000 postmenopausal women.

"To date, the majority of medical studies also do not show a significant increase in risk of breast cancer in women who use birth control pills or women who take postmenopausal estrogen therapy alone, unless women are also drinking alcohol on a regular daily basis and are using Premarin" E
Elizabeth Vliet, MD, in Screaming to be Heard-Hormone Connections Women Suspect and Doctors still Ignore, p 378

Vliet's discussion of postpartum depression needs to be more widely read and comprehended, since treatment with bioidentical estradiol could eliminate most postpartum depression. If the media would interview Dr. Vliet, instead of puzzled "experts," typically interviewed, after tragic postpartum depression murder/suicides, the public could be informed that post partum depression is treatable.

Vliet also discusses numerous causes of premature ovarian hormone decline, including Lymes Disease, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, hypothyroidism, hyper and hypo adrenalism.

Steven Sponaugle
Research Director, Florida Detox

The auther gives a very in-depth explanation of female hormones and their functions and how they can become unbalanced. She gives very specific and helpful advice about what hormones to check for certain symptoms, when to check them, what types of tests, what results mean, etc. It's clear she is on a mission to help women because there really is just a lack of study of female hormones in the medical community and it's obvious that many women can be helped with balanced hormone levels. I'm very glad I decided to get this book as I feel like I won't need to buy any others.

My mother just turned 50 and has been noticing some changes that she has atributed to hormones. My uncle, a doctor, recommended this book to help her understand what is going on.

Overall my mom really seems to like this book and i would recommend it to other pre-menopausal women.

I have yet to read the book, but I was reading over the reviews and I found it funny that a male was so ticked off that Dr. Vliet only spoke of female issues.
For one, you just appear ignorant for being upset about a disease that will never inflict a male (i.e. PCOS). Secondly men do not visit the doctors as regularily as females do and to try and discredit Dr. Vliet is nonsense!

Most males if they have an ailment will tough it out and figure it will correct itself. I've witnessed many men later on in life get so depressed about their health conditions b/c they were negligent of their own health.

So in conclusion to my rant you truly cannot have any say so over a matter that does not inflict your sex. Better inform yourself on your own health problems and do not think you know all. Men like you in the medical field is why women have to suffer as much as they do b/c they are so selfish, uneducated and narrow minded.

The truth be told everyone needs to keep a better check on their nutrional/mineral value on a daily basis so things do not become out of whack.

I bought this book in 2001 after hearing Crystal's story on Oprah. Oh how she inspired me. I too struggle with weight loss issues. My personal life has also had its challenges. Crystal is someone everyone can relate to. She is witty and funny and smart. She wrote about experiences that all overweight people can experience (shopping and being told we don't carry your size). She made me believe that I could do this. It's second only to my bible that i refer to for inspiration.

Thanks

Good for you Crystal for losing 167 pounds. I don't blame you for writing about it either, something this dramatic needs to be shared. What I really liked about this book was that it did not pressure the reader into losing weight. Diets these days are very stick: don't eat this, you must eat this, that and nothing else. Crystal shows us that you can lose weight your own way and it's up to you to set the pace.

I would like to give this book 3 1/2 stars but there aren't any 1/2's so I have written it. I really enjoyed her story and how she worked thru her struggles. It was a little unorganized but still enjoyable.

This book allows one to understand that the challenges of temptation for those struggling with weight loss is normal.

Some people kick themselves for backsliding on the diet trail. But this is verifivation that you still can continue and get over those mental humps.

This is chrystals everyday challenges that gets her through the storm. She begins to see that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I admire her because she experimented and found a method that was good for her. She teaches that there is no "blueprint" available for everyone.

If this book taught me anything it was the power of jeeping a journal. It will help you see where the problem lies and how to get through; and it will enable you to identify what is causing you to stifle your plans. It may be mental, physical or spiritual.

I use this book strictly for motivation. It's nice to read the words of someone who has been there.

I'd like to see her now! I hope she has kept up the good work.

"The Me I Knew I Could Be" is Crystal Phillips' journey from 292 lb (size 26) to 138 lb (size 6). I believe Crystal's obesity and binge eating would probably fall into the worst case category so I couldn't identify with Crystal's struggles, but I was inspired by her committed plan to lose weight. Apparently, the 292 lb was a result of her continuous binge eating (4 steaks, entire peach cobbler, and much more in one setting) causes my emotional issues (anxiety induced by grandfather, death of her brother, volatile marriage, and insecurity) she refused to deal with. Instead of just waking up one morning stating "I'm going to lose weight", Crystal learns the real reason she binged and began to deal with it. She uses typical weight loss techniques that can be found in any book, but what sets this story apart is her true story (complete with journal entries) that describes how she worked through the emotional problems to stop the emotional eating. At times, Crystal discusses how she came to a crossroad had to make the decision on whether or not to emotionally eat - sometimes she did, most times she didn't. When she did emotionally eat, she didn't give up but got refocused. Never does she say she's cured of binge-eating but offers ways to prevent to urge, i.e., after a big family gathering give leftovers away or only buy the smallest portion of a snack item. Her story is very honest.

Included in this book: recipes, before-after photos from her workshop participants, several exercises, and much more. The one unique item I found is the contents for a Survival Kit - a bag packed with healthy food and water that prevented Crystal from stopping at fast food restaurants.

This book is based upon solid research of a natural substance that is nuturing every living thing. It is found in your own body.

One of the reviews here mentions the name "Bill Rich." Many of the statements about him are true, but he has nothing solid to do with MSM, other than he stumbled upon it and tries to sell it.

This book and Bill Rich should not be mentioned together (forgive me). Mr. Rich does not speak for MSM, anymore than a bad teleevangelist speaks for God.

Get the hardback edition of this book, it will change your life for the better!

I've been trying alot of things against my severe allergies since 1982.Tested in 1972 up-down my back.Nurse left for a min.I Turned Super-Red outside Burning up inside.Doc gave me a big shot of adrenaline.

In the 1990's those symtoms started to come back.On 5-11-2003 i went to Rainbow Grocery store.They sell alot of Herb type items there.I told the lady there i needed something really good for my allergies.She took me over to MSM quickly!

She also showed me the little handbook by Dr.Ley "MSM On our way back to Health With Sulfur".I started with 3 grams on 5-11-03 i now average 20 grams of MSM per day.It really helps w/allergies.
I'm 50 years old.When tested allergic to ALL Molds and Pollens.

Mold is hardest to Beat.MSM is helping against it too.

I've ordered 5 of The Miracle of MSM By Dr Jacob and Dr Lawrence.

Thank You amazon.com for the good prices on those Books!!!!!

MSM is wonderful for me. I have taken MSM for nearly 2 years now (off and on). I would quit taking it, just to see what would happen. It wouldn't take long before my pain and stiffness would return to my knees. I wouldn't want to go through life without MSM. I am able to go through life without pain in my knees when I take MSM on a regular schedule. I have had no problems taking MSM and I take 12,000 mg. a day. I use a powder MSM that I put in my water, which also encourages me to drink the water I need daily. I even use a MSM soap and lotion for my skin. It has helped my skin alot. I can't say enough good things about MSM. This is the first book I bought about MSM and would recommend it to anyone. I've also read many other papers and articles on MSM, plus I've read alot on the internet about MSM. In fact I've bought this book to give to other people. I am always telling the wonders of MSM to people. I wish you well and happy health.

This title by Drs. Jacob and Lawrence is by far the best word on MSM (along with product manufacturers dmso2.com etc).

I, also, prefer the hardback version of this book. It is out of print but I found that it is still available at the distributor (msmsupplement.com as mentioned by someone in another review).

I hope that there is a new, updated version of this book on the horizon, because I know that MSM is helping so many people with a variety of problems (e.g. Arthritis, Allergies, Energy, Joint and Muscle & Nerve Pain, Skin Conditions ...). I even give it to my dogs and cats now!

By the way, Dr. Lawrence (on of the authors) is the doctor of the famous actor James Coburn. Mr. Coburn now attributes his recovery from crippling arthritis pain to benefits derived from MSM.

This book is the best that you will get on MSM. It is written by the "father of MSM" (IMO), Dr. Stanley Jacob. Co-written by Dr. Ronald Lawrence, doctor of famous actor James Coburn...

Get the hardback edition - it costs less than the not-so-well-bound paperback. You will use this book as a reference for natural dosage, et cetera, so definately get the hardback.